Houston Fertility Journal

It is becoming more common for women to wait to conceive until the age of 40. Women all over the world have gradually become more confident about embracing their freedom during youth, focusing on career goals as they become more clear, and choosing to have children once they really are sure that the time is right. While it hasn’t become what you might consider the “norm”, there are many who have done it this way.

Unfortunately, women’s fertility does begin to decline after they have reached the age of 30, and much more once they reach 37 and above. Because of this, 40 year old women have a 5% chance of getting pregnant, and those who do, have a 34% chance of miscarriage. This is why it is extremely important to know all of the facts and to talk to a specialist about your options before you go any further.

A fertility specialist will help you navigate the most successful and safest ways to achieve pregnancy at your age. Use the information below to help you gather any questions you may have for your doctor and bring them along to your appointment so you don’t forget anything. The more information you have the better.

Ectopic pregnancy, when the fertilized egg attaches itself in a place outside of the uterus

Placental problems, which can cause issues with the baby’s growth, premature birth, and stillbirth

Cesarean delivery, or c-section, when the baby is delivered through an incision in the abdomen or uterus

What You Can Do

A healthy pregnancy depends a great deal on the state of your body and the strength of your own health. For your part, you will want to make sure that you are eating well and eliminating any poor lifestyle choices that you may normally engage in. In order to carry out a healthy pregnancy, it will help if you can:

Improve your egg health

Improve your uterine health

Balance out your hormones

Strengthen the pelvic floor muscles

Manage your stress levels

Obviously, some of these you will not be able to do on your own. Still, it is up to you to make the choices that are necessary to achieve them. A fertility specialist will provide you with all of the best information on how to prepare your body and tell you about the most promising treatments that are available to you.

Fertility Treatment Options

If you have been trying to get pregnant naturally for 6 months or more with no success then it is time to see a specialist. It is possible that you have come to the point where your ovarian reserve has run out. This is completely normal and there are still options available to you. If your reserve is low, a specialist may recommend:

Clomid, a medication that stimulates ovulation

Intrauterine insemination, placing sperm directly into the uterus in an attempt to achieve fertilization and pregnancy

In vitro fertilization, fertilizing the egg with sperm outside of the body and then placing it in the uterus in an attempt to achieve pregnancy

Using an egg donor

Each fertility clinic has a different age limit after which they will no longer provide treatment using the woman’s personal egg supply. This age limit usually falls between 42 and 45. Most clinics accept women up to the age of 50 who wish to be the recipient of donor eggs.

Conception After 40 Is Possible

Many women over 40 can and do become pregnant and eventually find themselves the parents of healthy children. Conceiving naturally is possible, but in any case you should still talk to your doctor or a fertility specialist so that you are fully aware of the risks and if there are any precautions you should be taking.

Your doctor will most likely want to take some additional tests and continue to monitor things throughout in order to ensure that you and your child are in the best health possible. Find a specialist you know that you can trust. When it comes to you and your baby’s health, you will want to be beyond sure that you are in good hands.

I WANT TO KNOW IF THERE IS IVF STUDIES THAT I CAN QUALIFY FOR? I DID IUI WITH DR. PERFETTO...AND IT WAS NEGATIVE..SHE STATED TO ME DID NOT RECOMMEND ME TO DO A ANOTHER CYCLE OF IUI AND SHE RECOMMENDED STRAIGHT IVF.. CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT I CAN DO TO GET APPROVED FOR IVF STUDY OR BE PUT ON WAITING LIST FOR THAT?

carla carter-lopez

I'm 47 and have already went through menopause can I still get pregnant using ivf ?